Process of generating steam.



No. 758,095. PATENTBD APR. 26, 1904.

T. W. NBELY.

PROCESS 0F GENERATING STEAM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 2. 1901.

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UNITED STATES `ir'atentecl April 26, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

THOMAS W. NEELY, OF MARSHALL, ILLINOIS. l

PROCESS oF GENERATiNG STEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part lof Letters Patent No. 758,095, datedApril 26, 1904.

Application filed May 2, 1901. Serial No. 58,505. (No specimens.)

T0 a/ZZ' whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. NEELY, of Marshall, in the county oi' Olark and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of Generating Steam, oil which the following isa specification.

My invention is in the nature of a novel process of generating steam in which the heat for converting' the water into steam is supf plied internally in relation to the shell of the boiler byan electric arc or two electrodes juxtaposed in the relation of an electric arc and immersed in the water and introducing at one oi' the electrodes hydrocarbon vapor or other combustible gas adapted to unite with n the oxygen which may be set free by electrolysis oi' the water andbe--burned and by the intense heat of the electric-arc or hydrocarbon iiame to form an auxiliary or supplementary source oi' heat and pressure within the boiler.

In the drawing, the iigure is .a vertical section of the boiler and a side elevation of the dynamo or electric generator with automatic regulating devices and showing also means for introducing the combustible vapors or gas, the same being one form of mechanical means for carrying out my process.

In the drawing, B is a boiler-shell inclosed on all sides',v top, and bottom by a yheat-insu lating covering B. The boiler is equipped with the usual feed-water pipe f, manhole m, blow-off pipe water-level glass w, .steamgage g, and has within it braces or stay-rods I) to enable it to stand agreat pressure without bulging at the ends.

D is a dynamo or electric generator whose main conducting-wires M M' lead, respectively, the one to the bottom and the other to the top ofthe boiler. p The wire M/ connects with an adjustable carbon electrode C, suspended within the boiler'from the top, and the wire M connects with the lower carbon O. The upper carbon is sustained upon an adjustable rod E', which passes through an insulated stuiiing-box inthe top oi' the boiler and is raised and lowered by a screwthread meshing with a stationary nut e and an insulated hand-wheel E. `The lower carbon O is held upon a hollow rod F, which passes through an insulated bushing y in the bottom of the boiler. The rods E and F are connected to the carbons or to the carbonsockets by screwjoints. The lower. carbon O has a central hole H through it, which is in open communication with the bore of the holinafter described. Vvvhen the electric current from the dynamo'is taken through the wiresf M M to the two carbons and the latter are separated, an electric arc will be established between them even though immersed in the water, and the intense heat will rapidly generate steam and without loss of heat and will under certain conditions also eiect the partial .decomposition of the water into the constituent gases-oxygen andhydrogen. I take advantage or' this to combine in the boiler the nascent oxygen with combustible vapors in-v troduced` through. the pipe V and the opening f in the lower carbon, so as to get a further increase oi' heat and pressure. The pipe V leads to a carbureter or` source of combustible vapors or gas and has a valve t in its length controlled by an arm d, which is normally held tral chamber of a curved helix S', forming a solenoid. The terminals Aoi' the helix S connect with wires 3 4, and Ythese through switch s form a shunt-circuit from the main dynamoi When the shunt-circuit is es' wires M M. tablished through switch s and wires f3 4,1the

solenoid-armature a pulls up arm a and open- 1 ing valve t allows combustible gas to pass through pipes V to the end of the -lower electrode, to be there burned. When the dynamo current is cut of from the boiler by the main` switch S or by other means either'accidental" or otherwise, then spring o pulls ythe arm ai to its right-angular position, as shown', and

closesvalve t, cuttingoi" the supply oi vcomvbustiblegas, thus guarding against an oversupply oi'- gas to the boiler and consequent ex-rv plosiontf sure, a safety-valve O has its weighted and Spring-held lever L organized as a switch and bears a rubbing contact that passes over the graduated face-plates of a rhcostat R. This rheostat by wires l 2 is in the field-circuit of the dynamo, and when an excessive pressure in the boiler lifts the safety-valve lever its rubbing contact cuts in a larger resistance of the rheostat, and by reducing' the energy of the field-magnets of the dynamo and its electrical generation reduces the activity of steam generation and electrolysis.

Z is a perforated and arched diaphragm placed over the space occupied by the water to prevent the frothing or heaving of the water in case of rapid evaporation, which would make it diicult to determine the water-level.

In this generator the heat is applied to the water or other expansive element direct without the intervention of iron or other material that will retard the transmission of heat to the water or other expansive element itself. In the usual types of boilers or generators the heat is really insulated from the water by the relatively poor conductivity of the iron. In other words, the makers of other types of boilers or generators apply their heat on the outside, endeavoring to transmit it to the water within and then try to retain the heat in the boiler. In this boiler or generator the heat is applied within the boiler and is easily retained, as there are no doors to be continually opened, or fronts, or stacks, or walls to radiate or conduct the heat from it, as in ordinary types of boilers. In my generator advantage is taken of-the intense heat of the electric-arc and hydrocarbon iiame or other forms of intensified heat, and the construction and operation are such as to permit of the almost complete insulation of the heat of the boiler and its contents frorn the surrounding atmosphere or from other bodies, thus delivering approximately all the energy in the fuel used to the engine or other appliance in the form of dry steam or other vapor. Furthermore, the heat being applied or generated internally permits of the use of boiler-plate of any desired thickness or strength without interfering with the transmission of heat or impairing the eiiiciency of the boiler, thus rendering it possible to use higher pressure apparatus than heretofore, In my generator there is no need of iues or tubes on account of the rapid transmission of heat by convection and rapid circulation of heated gases through the water or other expansive element, and the heat all being retained in the generator, except as it passes away to the engine by means of the steam or other expansive element. Thus the generator is rendered much more simple than existing types and allowing freer access to all its internal parts.

Operation: On boiler or generator being started for the lirst time, or after being opened for any cause, water should be pumped into it until it reaches the waterdline shown in draw ing, or nearly so. The electric current is then turned into the boiler, forming a circuit through upper and lower carbons, which should at the time be in contact with each other. Upon raising the upper or positive carbon by means of the adjusting-wheel the arc is established in the water between the carbons. The switch in the circuit leading to the solenoid may then be adjusted to throw it in circuit, whereupon the armature will be drawn up into the solenoid, thus `opening the vapor-pipe which supplies the vapor from the carbureter or compressor or other source of combustible gas to the are through the lower carbon. The water coming in contact with the arc (and by electrolysis) is separated into its elements, the hydrogen being set free and the oxygen fo rming compounds with the carbon in the hydrocarbon vapor and with the carbon of the pencils between which the arc is formed, thus generating great heat. When the temperature and pressure rise until the desired pressure is reached, the piston in safety-valve begins to rise, thus raising the regulating-arm and cutting in resistance into the iields of the dynamo as the pressure reaches the point for which it is adjusted and does the reverse as the pressure begins to fall. Where the boiler or generator is used regularly every twentyfour or forty-eight hours, there is no need to wait to raise steam, as owing to the high insulation of heat which may be secured one may shut down fora period of from twentyfour to thirty-six hours with but a small loss in pressure or temperature, and the heat be ing applied to the water as soon as you start to draw on the reserve force of the boiler the normal condition is soon reestablished. In places. where no power can be obtained from another source a storage battery or small auxiliary boiler should be installed to be used to supply current when starting boiler anew or after havingbeen opened for any cause.

In will be seen that my invention includes the process of utilizing the expansion of combustible vapors along with steam, but without the incidental objections of the gas or gasolene explosive-engine.

In the gasolene or gas engine as now made the vapor is exploded or suddenly expanded within the cylinder of the engine, thus causing great heat losses in heating the cylinder and in exhaust-gases and from the blow given the piston by the explosion rendering the engine less ef'ticient than were a regular and even expansive force exerted against the piston. My idea is 'by means of this compressor or generator to expand 4or explode the gasolene or vapor within my generator, thus compressing the g'as and other vapor formed by such expansion and making such a number of small explosions or expansions as to causean even and regular pressure at the point of delivery to the engine fromthe generator. Thus the destructive force or blow delivered to the piston in the gas-engine as it is run to-day would be done away with, and the heat now lost in the cylinder and exhaust-gases of the gas-engine would be transmitted to the water in the generator, thus saving all this loss, as the heat generated would cause an expansion of the water into vapor, thus utilizing approximately the entire number of heat units in the gasolene or other liquid used and delivering an expansive vapor to the engine at a not much higher temperature than that of steam as it is to-day used.

That this generator can be used as readily in domestic heating of houses and in heating other buildings and places of business is selfevident, as owing to the great saving of fuel in this device over others used at present such places could be provided with generators of this type and the necessary current supplied s is the current for illuminating purposes to- I do not claim in this case the mechanical apparatus for carrying out my process, as this has been made the subject-matter of a separate application for a patent filed April 23, 1901, Serial No. 57,131.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The process of generating steam and supplementing its expansive power, which consists in passing an electrical current through electrodes immersed in water to form an electric arc with electrolysis of the water, admitting a combustible gas to the said electrodes to be combined with the water-gases by combustion and confining the resultant gaseous product to form pressure for motive power substantially as described.

2. The process of generating steam and supplementing its expansive power by an internal combustion of gases which consists in decomposing by an electric arc the water of a boiler into its constituent gases, retaining the same under pressure, introducing a combustible gas to the said separated water-gases for union therewith by combustion while still immersed in the surrounding water and controlling the feed of the Ycombustible gas to said electrodes in an automatic way substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The process of generating steam, and supplementing its expansive power, which consists in decomposing the water by electrolysis and burning an extraneous gas by combination with the disengaged constituent gases of the water, to produce heat and an expansion of the resultant vapors and gases and retaining such gases with the steam for motive power substantially as described.

4:. The process of generating steam and supplementing its expansive power, which consists in establishing in the water of a boiler an electrical arc, introducing a combustible gas thereto, regulating automatically the electrical current to the arc, and regulating automatically the admission of the combustible gas to the electric arc and retaining the steam and produced gases under pressure for motive power substantially as and for the purpose described.

THOMAS W. NEELY. Witnesses: v

H. M. JANNEY, J. F. HART. 

